Friday, October 27, 2017

THE COMBAT AIRLIFTER CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT will take ads
by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 982-9421, or you may mail
your ad to 404 Graham Rd., Jacksonville, Ark. 72078. You may also e-mail them
to combatairlifterclassifieds@arkansasleader.com Deadline to advertise in
Friday╒s
issue is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

ASH Urgent Care now hiring Front Desk/Recp., LPN, and
XRay Tech. New clinic opening late 2017, in Sherwood area. We need
professionals to provide quality, convenient care to our patients. If you have
23 yrs of exp. in a clinic setting and have the appropriate licensure, we want
to talk to you. Online application at: arksurgicalhospital.com.**

TEAMS ╨ Each driver can make 65-70k
per year to start! NEED ASAP! Harrison, LR & Memphis., TOP PAY - 55cpm,
HOME 2 days per week, Signing Bonus Day One! CLASS A CDL TEAMS, DRIVE FOR FedEx
GROUND Contractor! Great benefits! Must have 1 yr. of exp. and able to get
doubles endorsement. 870-754-5100 DriveGTI.net.**

ATTENTION HOME OWNERS in need of METAL ROOFS, SIDING or
WINDOWS. We would like to use your home to showcase our installed products for
our Winter brochure program. Only a limited amount of homes will be selected.

COZY, ONE room studio apartments in Jacksonville. Bed
pulls down from wall in Living Room in front of wood burning fireplace.
Includes appliance filled kitchen. Starting at $325 plus utilities, deposit
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For Airmen of the 19th Contracting Squadron and the 19th Comptroller Squadron, October is a new year – marking the end of September’s crunch time. During which, 19 CONS and 19 CPTS, in concert with the numerous squadron, group and wing resource advisors across Team Little Rock feverishly completed their work to ensure proper execution of each budget on base.

The month of September is the Federal equivalent of Black Friday. 19th CONS obligated a total of 42.5 million dollars in Fiscal Year 2017; nearly one third of those obligations came in the month of September alone. As our Air Force gets smaller and more efficient, contracted team members provide us with key support to ensure Airmen can focus on other aspects of the mission. Through service contracts, the 19th Medical Group was supplemented with 51 additional healthcare providers, increasing capacity by 53 percent. Construction contracts allowed for much needed improvement in Child Development Center and Youth Center facilities. Additionally, upgrades to the existing base entry guardhouses increased the safety and security of 19th Security Forces Squadron personnel as they defend the base. Whether it’s purchasing a new line of fitness equipment for the base fitness center or funding and signing services contracts for the seemingly unending line of road construction on Arnold and Chief Williams Drives, the 19th Airlift Wing’s two smallest squadrons make their impact known across Little Rock AFB and the local community – especially in September.

The impact to our community partners is significant, as well. This past year, 19th CONS awarded contracts totaling $8.2 million to employ companies located in Arkansas. $23.8 million were signed on contracts with corporations performing services in the state of Arkansas. This federal funding feeds directly back into the local area.

As with January’s New Year, the Fiscal New Year brings with it a proverbial reset button and a time of reflection as we move forward into Fiscal Year 2018. The next time September rolls around, recognize your contracted partners for their contributions to national defense and local commerce alike – and know your 19th CONS and 19th CPTS personnel are driving hard to execute the funding that keeps Combat Airlift on target, anywhere, anytime.

More than ever before, the world is connected to a vast cyberspace domain. The internet touches most aspects of daily life. With one click of a mouse or swipe of a finger, people can access volumes of information available to all users.

This is why it’s imperative for service members and government employees to use their situational awareness when operating within the Department of Defense network, as well as their personal computers.

October is the month to brush up on online safety as it marks the beginning of National Cyber Security Awareness month.

“The purpose of this month is to raise awareness and mitigate the threats we face in cyberspace every day,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Daniel Presland, 19th CES commander. “We want Airmen to understand that the actions they take online have implications in the real world and that there are bad cyber actors, such as cybercriminals, looking to take advantage of those unprepared.”

Shopping, banking and connecting with loved ones have become normal online activities. As a result, individuals increasingly share more sensitive information that’s highly sought after by cybercriminals – which is why it’s critical to secure network connections.

“One way Airmen can increase their cyber awareness is by performing ‘cyber hygiene,’” Presland said. “That means taking care of those easy, but fundamental, aspects of cybersecurity.”

This includes, but is not limited to:

Ensuring antivirus software and security patches are up-to-date

Not clicking on suspicious links

Strengthening passwords

Removing common access cards from computers

Encrypting emails

Configuring privacy settings on social media accounts

Securing cell phones with password protection

“Cybercriminals will use any vulnerability that exists on your computer’s software or infrastructure in order to compromise your machine,” Presland said. “By taking those fundamental steps, you are one-step ahead of the adversary.”

The goal is to secure Little Rock Air Force Base’s network and ensure outside threats do not gain access to information that could compromise base security and its resources.

“Everybody has a piece in ensuring the cyberspace domain remains a safe and secure space to operate within,” Presland said. “From the newest Airmen to the highest ranking official, if we don’t take vital steps to make sure everyone understands the threats, then we are at risk of adding to those vulnerabilities.”

Virtually every mission across the range of military operations depends on cybersecurity.

“Just like air, space and land, we must have command and control of cyberspace,” Presland said. “We can’t launch aircraft if digital systems are compromised, hacked or brought down, because we lose that vital command and control feature across the base.”

Every time Airmen connect to a network, whether at home or at work, decisions are made that affect cybersecurity. From the information Airmen choose to share, to the links they click, online activities can either enable or prevent attacks and intrusions.

For more information, visit www.stopthinkconnect.org

(Information courtesy of U.S. Air Force story by Airman 1st Class Kevin Sommer Giron)

Friday, October 13, 2017

THE COMBAT AIRLIFTER CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT will take ads
by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 982-9421, or you may mail
your ad to 404 Graham Rd., Jacksonville, Ark. 72078. You may also e-mail them
to combatairlifterclassifieds@arkansasleader.com Deadline to advertise in
Friday’s issue is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

TEAMS – NEED ASAP! Harrison, LR & Memphis. TOP PAY -
55cpm , HOME 2 days per week, 4 weeks of vacation after 10 years • Signing
Bonus Day One! CLASS A CDL TEAMS, DRIVE FOR FedEx GROUND Contractor! Great
benefits! Must have 1 yr. of exp. and able to get doubles
endorsement. 870-754-5100. DriveGTI.net.**

WE SHOP, YOU SAVE on your Medicare Supplement Insurance!
Call 888-982-3775 today to compare Medicare benefits and costs from
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WANTED 10 HOMES- In your county Needing METAL
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brochure. Upon being selected receive free $300 gift
certificate. SAVE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS We are opening a branch office
and will be using these homes for our brochure. No money down
financing. Payments $89/Mo.* Free estimates* Senior/Military discounts.
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HOUSES FOR RENT

COZY, ONE room studio apartments in Jacksonville. Bed
pulls down from wall in Living Room in front of wood burning fireplace.
Includes appliance filled kitchen. Starting at $325 plus utilities, deposit
$200. No children or pets. Camp Construction, (501) 982-0434.

There are many resources available to Airmen, such as the Department of Defense’s Go for Green program, or G4G. Available at most DOD dining facilities, G4G uses a green, yellow and red color-code to identify nutritious foods and make healthy food choices easier. Foods are organized based on their nutrition quality, which can impact an Airman’s fitness, strength and health.

“G4G helps service members make better choices which will give them more energy and in turn accomplish the mission,” said Tech. Sgt. Danielle Joe, 19th Force Support Squadron Hercules Dining Facility manager. “Most people want to make healthy choices, but sometimes get overwhelmed with options and different ingredients. Our aim is to simplify the decision making process by identifying healthy choices.”

When selecting from the dining facility menu, keep in mind the significance of these labels:

• Green: eat often

• Yellow: eat occasionally

• Red: eat rarely

Dietitians and sports nutritionists are also available to offer free advice and counseling on health related issues.

“We try to bring to light that it’s not just about the types of food but the relationship you have with those foods,” said Jill Hinsley, 19th Aeromedical Squadron sports dietetics nutritionist. “It’s more than good and bad foods, it’s how it (food choices) can be better.”

Following these guidelines can promote a healthy lifestyle and reduce potential illness:

• Balancing calories is beneficial, but food should be selected on nutritional value rather than calorie content

• Have a colorful plate by eating at least 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day with the focus on vegetables to avoid excess sugar, including a variety of dark-green, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas

• Have a palm-sized portion of protein with each meal to promote healthy muscles

• Eat whole grains, the equivalent of at least three 1-ounce servings a day to potentially reduce blood cholesterol levels

• Don’t be afraid of fat in foods — healthy amounts can be filling and reduce overeating

• Eat real food, which are items that can be hunted or grown

“Every individual is different; other than allergies and portion sizes, the diets should be very similar,” Hinsley said.

For more information or to set up an appointment, contact Jill Hinsley at 501- 987-7288.

Just like preparing for a physical fitness test, there’s no shortcut to “fiscal fitness” and an excellent credit score. There are steps that Airmen can take today to improve credit scores and avoid future financial woes.

The Airman & Family Readiness Center at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, offers a Managing Credit Class, which covers the basics of building and maintaining a good credit score. Financial advisors can help get budgets on track to start prevent overuse of credit cards, thus increasing credit scores.

“Service members need to make sure they keep their credit in check because it could potentially affect their ability to get or maintain their security clearance,” said Peggy Bennett, A&FRC community readiness consultant. “We have seen members lose their security clearance due to bad credit. Your credit report and history not only effect your buying power, but they can also affect future employment and your insurance.”

Following these simple tips from the A&FRC can boost future credit health:

• Have and use credit cards responsibly, keeping low or no balances at the end of the billing cycle.

• Pay all bills on time and have installment loans for vehicles or mortgages

• Save for emergencies so you don’t have an unexpected bill on a credit card without the ability to pay it off.

• Don’t charge items to a card and wait to pay them off for long periods of time. An account that is in excess of 20 percent of the available credit limit is going to hurt scores.

• Create a workable budget, and build and maintain an emergency fund.

• Keep debt to income ratio (non-mortgage) below 20 percent.

• Use credit cards for safety and convenience, but zero the card out at least once a month.

“The Air Force expects integrity, solid credibility and reliability from our Airmen,” said Master Sgt. Carlo Nino, 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron first sergeant. “It is particularly important to maintain personal financial affairs because it doesn’t just affect the Airmen, it definitely impacts the Air Force mission too.”

Bad credit scores affects a borrower’s interest rates as well as insurance rates for everything from renters insurance to health and life insurance. High balances on credit cards, late or missed payments, maxed out accounts and overdrafts on checking accounts are the main causes of poor credit.

“Usually the quickest fix for a bad credit score is to get it down to less than 10 percent of the available balance,” said Richard Tomaskovic, A&FRC community readiness consultant. “Setting up a bill payment calendar, making a budget and sticking to it is also important, but will take longer.”

Key factors for credit health are credit card payment history and amounts owed, according to Tomaskovic, who added that these contribute to 65 percent of a credit score. Other factors include length of credit history, types of credit used and new accounts.

For more information about building credit or to meet with a financial advisor, contact the A&FRC at 501-987-2667.

Team Little Rock’s Exceptional Family Member Program coordinators recently teamed with Camp Aldersgate counselors in Little Rock to host a Family Adventure Day for all family members in the program.

Camp Aldersgate is Arkansas’ only non-profit organization dedicated to serving children and youth with disabilities and seniors in a camp environment. The camp is located on more than 100 acres in Little Rock, minutes away from Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

EFMP merged with the camp for a day of fun and new activities for the special needs children and their families in the program.

“The main purpose is that families can come here as a family with a special needs member, and they all can have a good time, and they’ll be around other families with similar circumstances,” said Steve Jones, Airman and Family Readiness Center EFMP coordinator. “Those kids can intermingle with each other, and can say, ‘Hey, I’m not the only one around here with, maybe, an issue.’ So it brings people together.”

Camp activities included arts and crafts, archery, canoeing, fishing, disc golf and other events such as a carousel ride and ice cream at the end of the day. The activities were hosted on a campus specifically designed for people in wheelchairs, or needing walkers, or just needing to express themselves in ways that might draw unwanted attention elsewhere.

They put harnesses on and negotiated the rocks on the climbing wall. There were some times that were challenging for them; some of the easy parts were challenging for a few. But it was no big deal because the parents were there to give them a hand, Jones added.

C.J. Moorman did just that: he gave his son, Lance, a hand with his fishing rod as they trolled for the big catfish inhabiting the camp lake. Moorman, who works at the Airmen and Family Readiness Center here, and his wife Cindy, brought their four sons and six grandchildren to the event.

“Steve sets things up like this. He stays in contact with all the folks who want to be in the program; he has a list and he keeps track of all the people,” Moorman said, “then he does events like this where he gets people out in the community doing things that people with special needs can actually take advantage of.”

“It’s really neat to see the grandkids interact with Lance and JoJo and other children with disabilities as well,” Cindy added. “We’re having a great time.”

Friday, October 6, 2017

THE COMBAT AIRLIFTER CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT will take ads
by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 982-9421, or you may mail
your ad to 404 Graham Rd., Jacksonville, Ark. 72078. You may also e-mail them
to combatairlifterclassifieds@arkansasleader.com Deadline to advertise in
Friday’s issue is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

TEAMS – NEED ASAP! Harrison, LR & Memphis. TOP PAY -
55cpm , HOME 2 days per week, 4 weeks of vacation after 10 years • Signing
Bonus Day One! CLASS A CDL TEAMS, DRIVE FOR FedEx GROUND Contractor! Great
benefits! Must have 1 yr. of exp. and able to get doubles endorsement. 870-754-5100.
DriveGTI.net.**

WANTED 10 HOMES- In your county Needing METAL
ROOFS, SIDING OR WINDOWS For our Before and after picture
brochure. Upon being selected receive free $300 gift
certificate. SAVE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS We are opening a branch office
and will be using these homes for our brochure. No money down
financing. Payments $89/Mo.* Free estimates* Senior/Military discounts.
wac. CALL NOW!! 866-668-8681.**

HOUSES FOR RENT

COZY, ONE room studio apartments in Jacksonville. Bed
pulls down from wall in Living Room in front of wood burning fireplace.
Includes appliance filled kitchen. Starting at $325 plus utilities, deposit
$200. No children or pets. Camp Construction, (501) 982-0434.

The two-week exercise, conducted at Fort Polk, La., grow’s the bonds and coordination between Mobility Air Force’s assets and their Army brethren.

“One of the best ways for a loadmaster to learn is to hear how to best tackle a problem from another, more experienced, loadmaster,” said Staff Sgt. Whitny Woolverton, 34th CTS instructor loadmaster. “I have a lot of experience I can share with other loadmasters and I love being able to do that.”

Woolverton participated as an observer, coach and trainer, or OCT, during the exercise. This involved flying with various aircrews and observing or assisting them perform certain tasks encountered during deployments or temporary deployments.

One of these tasks is Combat Offload Method B, a method used when a piece of cargo cannot be offloaded by conventional methods because it’s either too big or the proper equipment needed is unavailable.

The method consists of hooking chains attached to a forklift to cargo and anchoring it in place while the aircraft slowly moves forward. As the piece of cargo is removed from the aircraft, aircrew place barrels underneath to keep its height consistent and from falling over. Once this process is complete, the aircraft can immediately begin to take off procedures if needed. However, the aircrew may take their time safely moving the piece of equipment.

“GREEN FLAG is a good, controlled environment to get critical training for deployments,” said Airman Dalton Clark, 40th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. “I’m trying to get as much training as I can before an actual deployment comes up.”

The wealth of information and training gained during this exercise is just one of the many avenues available to ensure service members are prepared to answer their nation’s call.

“I’ve seen plenty of stuff I’ve never encountered before,” Clark said. “It’s good to be able to experience things that are out of your norm and learn how to prepare for that.”

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – In times of adversity, many turn to their families for emotional support. Loved ones become safety nets when one of their own faces strife. But what does a person do when his family is in jeopardy on an island thousands of miles away?

Airman 1st Class Kenny Rivera Rojas, 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, responded to his family by offering his helping hands to not just his family, but the entire Puerto Rican population, by helping maintain aircraft headed to Hurricane Maria for aeromedical evacuation missions.

Rivera Rojas’s family is part of the 3.4 million people in Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Maria. They reside in the city of Canovanas, Puerto Rico, 30 minutes away from San Juan. Rivera Rojas’s only way to contact them is through his sister, who works at San Juan Luis Munoz Marin Airport.

“They mean the world to me,” Rivera Rojas said. “I’m very close to everyone, even my extended family. “Although my sister hasn’t gotten the chance to talk to them, I try to call at least once a day. Since there isn’t electricity, all I hear is the phone ring. They don’t know I’m here.”

The challenges his family is facing is the same as other Puerto Ricans who are struggling to find food, water and gas. So far, the U.S. territory has received support from federal and private agencies.

“It’s heartwarming to see people donate to help so much,” Rivera Rojas said. “I didn’t think there was going to be the amount of support there is.”

So far, Rivera Rojas has contributed to maintenance operations supporting responding aircraft by aiding in flight pre-checks and loading supplies onto aircraft headed to Puerto Rico and will continue to do so as long as he can.

“Until I see my family again, I’m willing to do anything in my power to make sure they’re OK,” he said. “I’m here. I’m doing my best to help out and be there. I love you.”